


The Kid

by Animefreak11



Category: The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Ficlet, Gen, Inspired by Batman Beyond funnily enough, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-The Amazing Spider-Man, Pre-The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Short One Shot, Tags Are Hard, Touches on grief and guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animefreak11/pseuds/Animefreak11
Summary: Months after the George Washington Bridge, Peter still swings by the park to check on his first rescue.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12
Collections: Genuary 2021





	The Kid

**Author's Note:**

> Has this been done before? (And if not, why?)
> 
> If Tony Stark can remind me of Bruce Wayne offering his protégé a job, I can conversely borrow this scene from Batman Beyond, which, frankly, would've made a great ending/extra/deleted scene.
> 
> I may be aging myself, but some people on Tumblr mentioned they missed this A/N format, and I, in fact, do miss this a bit. Enjoy!
> 
>  **(Tom Holland) Peter Parker** : What is she talking about? Did you copy Bruce Wayne?
> 
>  **Tony Stark** : No idea kid, she's mixing universes.
> 
> No I'm not! I just find the parallels amusing and very… coincidental. *cough*
> 
>  **Bruce Wayne** : She's right you know.
> 
>  **Tony Stark** : Sorry pal, but I recruited the Spider-kid, didn't yours _steal_ your suit before you offered him a job?
> 
>  **Bruce Wayne** : …
> 
>  **Tony Stark** : That's what I thought.
> 
>  **Terry McGinnis** : Wait what?? Bruce, who the hell are these guys?

Peter led Gwen to a small neighborhood park teeming with laughing and screaming children alike, parents sitting or standing to the shaded sides, some busily chatting with other parents and others engrossed in their phone or tablet. Kids looked more at ease cutting through the hot day's humidity than the sweaty parents wading through it. But it was nearly September and the kids basked in their last few days of summer vacation, just as Peter and Gwen were doing.

It had taken a while for Peter to come around after her father's funeral, but when he did it nearly gave Gwen whiplash. She wanted him in her life, just as he wanted her. As much as she'd already told him that back in May, she hadn't unloaded most of her grief, hadn't even touched the guilt. She'd always known the possibility of her father not coming home was there – it was statistics, really – but it didn't make his death any easier to deal with. She hadn't imagined she'd have played a hand in it, either.

All the what-ifs and the should'ves interrupted her frequently these days, so much for getting a handle on things.

Peter, as if sensing she was elsewhere, gently squeezed her hand with his and wiggled his bushy eyebrows at her when she looked up.

She stifled a laugh and elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “So why are we here Peter? Not that I don't enjoy exploring new parks, but this one's clearly meant for a younger audience.”

“You said you wanted to see him.”

Her smile was quickly replaced by mild surprise. “Oh. Yes, I did. And yes I would. Where is he?” She looked around the playground where kids of nearly all ages ran around, heart pounding slightly at the thought of one of them stopping dead among the mayhem and pointing a finger at Peter in recognition.

Peter walked them both past the jungle gym, the monkey bars, the colorful yet faded array of tunnels and slides to the other end of the park, artfully dodging a running child holding an ice cream, and when the chorus of noise disappeared behind a layer of trees, her shoulders dropped slightly. No stilling, no pointing, no shouting. So far so good.

They stopped at the edge of a field surrounded by tall metal fencing, where a little league baseball team was practicing.

Gwen looked at Peter curiously, his eyes alight with playful warmth rather than their usual guarded watchfulness. She smiled at him. “How many times have you been here?”

He shrugged noncommittally and swallowed a mumble but kept staring at the kids.

“What was that?” She fought to keep the grin off her face but her tone was clearly teasing. She'd guess upwards of every weekend since Oscorp, but definitely after the funeral. He'd needed the reminder then, that he did good. _Does_ good. He carried his fair share of guilt ridden grief as well.

“Couple times maybe?”

“You're a terrible liar.” Her blue eyes locked with his browns and he let out a defeated huff. “Which one is he?”

Peter swiftly, but discreetly, pointed to the pitcher, a kid no older than eight – probably, it was hard to tell with the helmet hiding half of his face – concentrating on pitching the ball to the batter.

He threw, the batter missed, and a man immediately started clapping. “Well done, Jack!” The coach stepped in and talked to the batter, giving advice on technique if Gwen had to guess.

“Does he know?”

Peter gave her that look. The one where his eyebrows knit together and his eyelids crinkle at the corner as if he was about to roll his eyes but instead stared in mighty judgment, as if he wouldn't already know.

“Peter.” She gave him her look. The one where her face slacks in seriousness and her eyebrows inch up her forehead and her eyes grow in size, seeing and cutting through all the usual deceptions, defenses, and lies.

“No, he doesn't know.”

She inched her eyebrows even further.

He shook his head minimally but repeatedly. “No he doesn't know. He doesn't! Gwen, I've been here almost once a week since it happened, he hasn't recognized me.”

Gwen stared at him and shrugged in mild acquiescence. “Okay. Are you sure?”

She looked back over the field, noticing the kids were back to practice in between applause, whistles, and encouraging shouts from the present parents.

“Yes I'm sure, he's walked right past me and said nothing. It was dark, he was scared, he probably only remembers the mask, or my hair, but that alone can't help him.”

He looked and sounded so confident, so at ease, Gwen didn't have it in her to prove him wrong. But he _could_ be wrong, and she wanted to know for sure. “Alright. And you're still going to check on him every weekend?”

Peter kicked a rock off the path and shuffled his feet, giving a half shrug that said more than his words.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “You could just say yes Peter.” She jabbed him with her elbow again.

“I'll say yes to ice cream.” He grinned, like the child he probably used to be, whom he somehow managed to keep alive after everything; the bite, Ben, Oscorp… her father.

“Fine, but none of that soft-serve cop out.”

“Don't worry, I know all the best places.” He winked just as he brushed his thumb on her knuckles.

“We are _not_ swinging there.” Once had been enough. Her stomach lurched at the memory.

His bambi eyes went wide. “No I know. There's a great truck around the corner actually-” His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pants' pocket with his free hand. “It's May, gimme a sec.”

She released his hand and watched him pace a few steps behind her, one hand ruffling his hair, before he turned towards her briefly and back again. Why he'd still be embarrassed to say he was out with her mystified her a little. She could only help as much as he let her, and if this was part of him dealing, she wouldn't intrude – yet.

Her eyes landed on movement on the field, they were switching pitchers and batters. She saw the kid get closer to the fence. As he dropped his glove on the pile, he paused for a moment before grabbing the bat. It couldn't have been longer than a second, but with his helmet pushed up, there was no mistaking what, or whom, he smiled at.

He turned around before Gwen could blink, his back emblazoned with a giant 6.

_He knows._

“Sorry.” Peter shoved his phone back in his pocket before carefully taking her hand in his. The lack of a response had him frowning. “Gwen? You okay?”

She snapped her eyes away from the boy currently practicing his swing and looked into Peter's concerned doe eyes. “Yeah, I'm fine.” She smiled for good measure. How Peter could be sure the kid didn't know him was beyond her, but clearly, he _was_ wrong. She'd help him see the truth: that a kid her brother's age knew his secret and had fooled him into thinking he didn't. Kid better be exceptional at secrets, unlike her brother.

Peter quirked an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. He glanced back at the field, a small knowing smile growing on his lips, before turning around, demeanor nothing but enthusiasm. “Ice cream?”

Gwen laughed. “You bet.” She couldn't help it, he was an infectious, adorable nerd.

He pulled her back on the path, towards the noise, and the relative peace of the baseball field disappeared in the city's cacophonous background.

“By the way, he totally knows.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is what I get for rewatching Batman Beyond. But also, my first non-OC fic! Figures it's the shortest 😂 (Why yes I _did_ start writing another TASM fanfic before this one, but I have a feeling it'll get messy. Heck maybe Jack will make an appearance!? That's an idea...)
> 
> If you can think of helpful tags, please let me know!
> 
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve reader/author communication. I appreciate feedback, including:
> 
>   * Short comments (1 word, emojis, 1 sentence, etc)
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
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